Of Barbed Wire and Roses
by mcgogokid
Summary: Jill Harris is a bitter young farmer who remains trapped in the wake of her past. Marlin Burke is a salty old man down the way with just as much bitterness as the latter and just as much past for him to dwell on. As the two find themselves bumping heads, they may just be what the other needs... JillxMarlin. -HIATUS-


**A/N: Thank you for all the support from my fans. I grandly appreciate it. Please read and review. I'm sorry if I keep starting new stories! I'll finish them all this summer! It's just once you have an idea in your mind, you can't let it go! Hope you enjoy this first chapter. I've added my own twist on Jill and added some last names to the characters! Enjoy~!**

Dusty rays of sunlight filled the small cabin of Harris Farm, forcing Forget-Me-Not Valley's newest resident to groggily open her eyes. The faint sound of chirping birds resonated from outside and stirred the brunette woman from her slumber, pricking at the throbbing strings of her headache from the previous night. She yearned to stay wrapped within the warmth of her bed, but knew she had to get up and start her chores.

Jill Harris leaned forward and stretched, a long drawn out yawn escaping her lungs. She looked around while rubbing the sleep from her deep brown eyes and adjusted to the morning light.

What a pain. She looked over at the clock that sat on her nightstand. 10:37. She groaned; she had overslept.

Aggravation prevalent upon her face, she reluctantly changed into her work clothes and slid into her muddy work boots. Once laced up nice and tight, she stood and stared into the mirror hanging directly above her nightstand. Her thick tresses of brunette hair lay tousled and unkempt due to her sound night of sleep. She ran her fingers through the tangled mess and fixed it up into a suitable ponytail.

With a grunt, Jill slid her arms through the straps of her rucksack and heaved a large hoe over her shoulder. She walked out the door, frowning, groggily dragging her feet beneath her as though she were a reluctant child.

The first thing that hit her as she exited the cabin was the soft spring breeze filled with the smell of fresh rain water. She grinned in relief. She wouldn't have to water her tomatoes today.

She shut the door heavily behind herself and made her way to the barn, her little dog Haus following cheerfully alongside her, erratically wagging his tail. As she came to the entrance of the barn, she leaned down and patted his head.

"Sorry, boy," she said, leaning the sickle up against the worn wall of the tool shed. "Milking time."

Haus whimpered softly in response as he circled and returned to his dog house. Jill sadly smiled. She had a soft spot for that critter.

The barn door creaked loudly when she entered the building, an immediate smell of fresh fodder and musk wafting up to her nose.

A crease formed in her brow as she listened to an annoyed snort sound from the other end of the isle.

"Here we go…" she groaned. She looked over to see a cow of black and white glaring back at her. The cow once more snorted before knocking the trough with her horns. Frustration pulsed through the vein on Jill's forehead as she grabbed two flakes of fodder from the silo opening on the wall. Taking several large strides, she tossed the bovine's meal into the battered trough with indignation. The cow mooed before stuffing her muzzle into the bin to grab a mouthful of fodder.

"You are so impatient." Jill groused, frowning. She shifted the milker out of the rucksack on her back and over her shoulder, promptly readying herself for the task at hand.

The two of them had never gotten along, the cow and her. Ever since the first moment, they knew it was going to be war. Every morning, it was the same routine—a stubborn fight to the end.

Jill sighed, crouching under the female bovine. She adjusted her hands and the cups to her utter, keeping an eye on the cow's expression.

"There ya go, Margo," Jill cooed as she started to milk. The container began to fill up with a luscious cream-colored liquid. Filled to the brim, she moved on to the next container. Three containers later, Jill watched as the fourth and final jug was filled with the final remnants of fresh milk as she finished up her order. She placed the small glass containers into her rucksack along with the milker, grinning with triumph.

Brush in hand, she smoothed away the clumps of dirt from Margo's coat. "You are being such a good girl today." She commented cautiously to the content cow, watching as she chewed mouthfuls of hay. Swallowing, the animal gave a gruff moo in response.

Jill took the reply without complaint. No need to get the heifer riled up.

"You're doing well, Jill."

The brunette turned abruptly, startled by a sudden gruff voice. Takakura, a man of sun-kissed skin and jet black hair, stood within the door way of the barn, a set frown plastered upon his thin lips. His body was aged and calloused from years of arduous labor; he reminded her of _him_. She shook the thought from her mind.

Jill gave an elongated sigh as she finished up with Margo, trying to steady the erratic pounding of her heart. "Thanks." She said crossly. She placed the matted brush back into her rucksack and turned around, planting her hands onto her slender hips and pursing her lips.

Takakura chuckled a little, a gruff sound coming from deep within his chest. "You are your father's daughter alright." He came forward and gingerly patted Margo's back, receiving a glare in return. "He'd give me that look whenever things became problematic."

Jill rolled her eyes. Why did she care? She hardly knew the man…

She patted the annoyed cow on the back, swiftly dodging an agitated flick of the tail, and headed out the barn door. Takakura followed behind her, unwavered by her cold demeanor and sharp tongue.

"So," she let out another sigh as she heaved the heavy wooden door shut behind them and turned to face the older gentlemen. "Aren't you supposed to be in the city right now, Tak?"

"I forgot to leave the list of deliveries here for you." He dug around in the back pocket of his black work pants and retrieved a crumpled sheet of aged white notebook paper.

Taking the list from him, Jill eyed the names descending down each line. Exactly four customers today. Luckily, Margo was able to produce the exact number of bottles that morning to fill orders. She folded the sheet and slid it down into the pocket of her dirty jeans, slight relief washing over her. "Alright, I'll head out then."

With a half-hearted wave, she left Takakura standing alone between the barn and storage facility, a stoic expression on her face.

-.-

"Good bye now, Jill, dear!" A warm good bye pealed from the front desk from none other than Miss Ruby. "Have a nice day."

Jill gave a grin in return, waving to her before she exited the double doors of the Inner Inn. She looked down at the list in her hand. She had delivered one bottle to the busy Chris before she had left the valley for work, and now she had just accomplished her second. Two more to go.

"Alright," she breathed, smoothing out the sheet in her hand. She could hardly read Takakura's scrawl. Squinting, she made out the last two names. _Vesta Burke: one bottle of milk. Romana De Angelis: one bottle of milk._

She stuffed the paper back into her pocket and made her way to the old bridge that connected both sides of the river.

Jill smiled slightly. Thanks to Ol' Romana, she would get to see her new friend Lumina later.

When Jill had arrived a few days prior, she had been quiet and rather cold towards the townsfolk. Everybody that lived there was overly friendly and that made her feel uncomfortable. But Lumina had not been one of them. The first night of Jill's new life, she had traveled to the beach to view the stars in sweet silent bliss and let loose from all of the introductions. The wind washed a soft salty breeze over the exhausted farmer, cooling down the muggy feeling that overwhelmed Jill throughout the day.

As she stood there with her arms outstretched, enjoying the slight breeze, Lumina had arrived. She had cleared her throat to gain Jill's attention, receiving a startled jump from the new resident and a barrage of colorful language. Jill awaited a shrill apology and another pointless introduction, but was greeted with nothing.

Lumina simply ignored the reaction and silently sat down, gazing up at the stars with mild interest. She didn't badger Jill will repeated questions and pondering gazes, she merely wanted to enjoy the silence of that beautiful night and stargaze.

And that's where their pleasant friendship began.

Jill came upon the old wooden bridge and peered over into the crystal clear water below. The woman reflected on the surface of the smooth currents mimicked her every move; she bore the same tight-lipped expression as Jill did. The bags beneath her eyes were dark and defined, seemingly etched into her soft pale skin. A look of unhappiness masked her face, a look that had been there for the past fifteen years.

She shook her head at the reflection and continued her way to the entrance of the neighboring farm. As she entered between two worn wooden cabins, she took a moment to survey its layout. On her left, a field of blooming tomatoes grew, planted in a checkerboard fashion.

She mentally took note of the planting style before moving on to the tented plants in front of her. She couldn't see through the dirty material covering the plots of land, only catching a soft warm breeze from a small crack in the crumpled door. As she took a breath, smells of mint and other herbs wafted up to her nostrils.

As the scent permeated her senses, she peered over to her right to see a set of windmills, their blades gently turning with the soft spring breeze. Around the base of each pillar, patches of Goddess Drop lay sprawled and blossoming, a soft yellow hue surrounding them beneath the sun's rays.

It really was beautiful.

Jill allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she turned toward the building on her right. She awkwardly removed one of the two bottles from her bag and hugged it to the _KUMONO_ brand on her shirt, lifting her hand to knock on the door.

Just as her fist slugged forward to bang against the door, it opened. Her fist came in contact with somebody's broad chest, an audible _thump_ being heard as it hit.

Jill looked up, bewildered. Her chocolate brown eyes met with a pair of deep cobalt orbs. She jumped back as her breath hitched, receiving an odd stare from the individual before her. She blinked, looking the man up and down. He had unruly black hair and a prominent jaw that supported a just as prominent frown. He wore a white button up shirt and pair of dirty jeans. He was older, at least ten years older than Jill herself.

Slightly slouching and adjusting his hands inside his pockets, he glared daggers at the young farmer. "Well?" He grunted crossly.

His deep voice shook Jill from her daze. She noticed the sharp tone of his voice along with the scowl plastered on his face, and matched it with one of her own. She retrieved the list from her pocket.

"You wouldn't happen to be…" she squinted slightly at the name on her list. "Vesta Burke, would you?"

He scoffed in response. "Vesta went to deliver some things to the city. What do you want?" The harshness of his tone irked Jill to no end. She gritted her teeth slightly, shoving the list back into its previous place and holding out the bottle of milk.

"She ordered a bottle of milk." She stated firmly, her brows furrowing in slight agitation.

The man merely stared at her, a blank expression plastered on his face. The look was making Jill a tad bit angry. He reached out and gingerly took the bottle from her with his large calloused hand.

For a few moments they just…stared at each other, both with furrowed brows and deep scowls.

"Ya need anything else?" He grunted gruffly, his frown deepening, shuffling his feet on the dirty floor boards of the cabin.

Jill shook her head. "No."

There was an awkward silence between them. A few soundless moments went by with nothing but the birds chirping and the soft wind rattling the grass.

Jill's eyes were downcast as she kicked a couple of rocks with her feet, the man's glare becoming darker and more irritated with each passing second. When she looked back up, the agitation was noticeable and the impatience practically rolled off of him in heavy waves of negativity.

The afternoon was beginning to wane into dusk and she still had one more order to fill. She needed to get going or else she'd miss out on time with Lumina.

"Uhh," She adjusted the straps on her shoulders comfortably, frowning. While perturbed, the man remained silent, motionless. "I've got to get going. I have another delivery."

He curtly nodded before closing the door in the girl's face, leaving her speechless. Wahh…? How could someone be so rude!? No thank you? No nothing? Not even a simple handshake?

The vein in Jill's forehead pulsed as she unleashed a barrage of vulgarity, stomping away from the farm and down the dirt road to her next destination.


End file.
